2018 Banff > Vancouver

13 Day Itinerary

Day 1 -
Calgary > Banff

Welcome to the Canadian Rockies. Your journey of wonder begins. Upon arrival into Calgary, transfer to Banff where you’ll meet your Tour Director and fellow travellers. Feel like royalty as you check into your mountain or valley view room for a two night Special Stay at the Fairmont Banff Springs, the ‘Castle in the Rockies’. Enjoy a sumptuous welcome dinner tonight. Please book your flight to arrive between 9am and 3pm.

Meals included: Dinner

Day 2 -
Banff

You’re sure to be swept away by Banff National Park, the first national park established in Canada and a coveted World Heritage-listed Site.

Freechoice

Take a helicopter flight over the Three Sisters Peaks, enjoy a Bow River float trip, knock off nine holes of golf or rejuvenate in the mineral pools. Alternatively, take a guided nature walk or head into the mountains by wagon for a cowboy cookout lunch.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 3 -
Banff > Lake Louise

This morning, board the Banff Gondola and drink in the views from the top of Sulphur Mountain. Drive through the Rocky Mountains, past mesmerising lakes and towering mountains en route to Lake Louise. Check in for your overnight Special Stay in a stunning lakeview room at the opulent Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Enrich

Meet an authentic wearer of the red serge – a Mountie, and learn about the importance of this role in Canadian history. Be thrilled by entertaining stories of the trade, and be sure to take a memorable photo.

FreechoiceDining

You’ll enjoy a choice of restaurants at your hotel tonight, from fine to more casual dining. It’s entirely up to you.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4 -
Rocky Mountaineer > Kamloops

The Rocky Mountaineer is one of the most iconic rail journeys in the world. You’ll relish your two days of GoldLeaf Service as you travel in luxurious comfort in your dome glass carriage. Gaze in awe as you carve through otherwise inaccessible terrain in the remarkable Canadian Rockies. You don’t have to be an engineer to delight in the ingenious construction of the spiral tunnels you’ll venture through today. Stay overnight at a Kamloops hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5 -
Rocky Mountaineer > Vancouver

View the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers from your glass dome carriage. Rocky Mountaineer is renowned for the delicious cuisine made for you on board. Savour the delectable delights and sip on local wine or beer as you soak up the magnificent scenery stretching as far as the eye can see. Later, you’ll arrive at the exclusive Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, where you’ll be comfortably appointed tonight.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 6 -
Vancouver > Alaskan Cruise

Enrich

The best time to be at one with nature is before the crowds arrive. You get to be the first to wander amongst the glistening morning dew of the rainforest and marvel at the engineering feat of the 137 metre long suspension bridge, with exclusive entrance to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park before it opens to the public. If the bridge doesn’t amaze you, the cliffwalk and flora will.

Explore the many and varied sights, tastes and sounds of cosmopolitan Vancouver during a city sightseeing tour. Later, join your Cruise Director for your luxurious seven night Alaskan voyage on board Holland America Line’s ms Nieuw Amsterdam. Keep an eye out for orcas, humpback whales or bald eagles from your verandah stateroom, and each evening, you’ll get to toast to the day’s adventures with included drinks with dinner.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7 -
Scenic Cruising

Savour your celebratory ‘Welcome to the Seas’ lunch, then settle back and relax with a book or explore the ship’s facilities, restaurants and lounges.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 -
Juneau

Alaska’s charming state capital is the epitome of the rugged last frontier, only accessible by air or sea, so you can explore knowing you’ll never get lost.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 -
Skagway

Take a stroll into the past. Historic shop facades, wooden boardwalks and echoes of the gold rush welcome you to Skagway, the gateway of the Klondike. Discover the remnants of its gold rush roots when prospectors came in droves to try their luck during the Klondike gold rush. For those who struck it lucky, the saloons of Skagway proved a popular way to ‘invest’ their fortunes back into the town.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10 -
Glacier Bay

A steaming cup of soup or even hot chocolate will keep you warm as you are mesmerised by the dramatic ice walls and iceberg-strewn waters of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Glacier Bay has more actively calving glaciers than anywhere in the world. Hold your breath as a monumental chunk of ice splits off a glacier and thunders into the sea, and capture the impact shooting water hundreds of feet in the air. Then, wait for it to happen all over again. A National Park Service Ranger will interpret the natural wonders and wildlife you may see.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 -
Ketchikan

Alaska’s remote first city and last port of call is a treasury of Native American culture, home to the largest collection of Native totem poles in the world. Ketchikan is also known as the ‘salmon capital of the world’, so be sure to sample some fresh local fare while you’re in town.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12 -
Scenic Cruising

Today, you just get to enjoy your elegant cruise southwards. Celebrate the end of a wonderful journey at your farewell reception.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13 -
Vancouver

You’ll arrive in Vancouver today for your onward or homeward bound journey. Please book your flight to depart after 2pm. If your international flight departs after 5pm, take advantage of our hospitality lounge at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. We’ll be sad to see you leave, but we hope this taste of Canada and Alaska leaves you wanting more.